I met Brian before I had the pleasure of meeting Soraya. He came to Esqueleto, sketchbook in hand, in the hopes of commissioning a custom engagement ring using an heirloom diamond. They were both such a delight to work with that I thought I’d ask them about their experience.
Lindsay: How did you two meet?
Brian: We met at Socha Café in the Mission District of San Francisco. I wandered into the café to get some work done and Soraya was my barista.
L: What brought you to Esqueleto for the ring?
B: Years earlier, during a hike in the canyon near my childhood home in San Diego, Soraya picked some wildflowers and twisted them into two rings. We felt like we had joined together that day in what we called our “nature wedding.” I was inspired to design an engagement ring in the spirit of the flower rings we wore that day. A friend recommended Esqueleto, and as soon as I met Lauren and Lindsay, I knew I had found my designers.
L: Tell us about the process of designing the ring.
B: I had been working on sketches of the ring for a number of weeks. I had a diamond from my grandmother that I wanted to incorporate, and I was really inspired by the cluster rings of the early twentieth century. What came back a few weeks later was so beautiful we could hardly believe our eyes. It was the ring Soraya and I had designed but also something more.
Lindsay had managed to take the concept and fill in the blanks needed to translate it into physical form. Everything about the ring - the size, shape, and glittering diamonds - was perfect. Soraya catches herself staring down at the ring in disbelief about once every day, and tells me she still can't believe it's hers.
L: What are your plans for the wedding?
B: We wanted to get married outdoors in a place where we felt a connection. We found a farm near Point Arena in a small valley along the Garcia River. We plan on getting married in a field by the river, surrounded by loved ones and a ring of redwood trees.